What’s New in Ultra: May 2025 “TILTEd”

Podcast Recap

Welcome to the May 2025 edition of our “What’s New in Ultra: TILTEd” series, brought to you by the Department of Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies (TILT) at Fort Hays State University. In this blog post, we highlight the key takeaways from this month’s podcast episode, where Thomas Mathews Horne and Danielle Reilley break down the latest updates in Blackboard Ultra 3900.116.

Listen to the podcast here:

Alongside the episode video, we have included helpful screenshots to show you where to find these new features inside your course.

1. Auto-Generate AI Conversations The AI Design Assistant now supports the automatic generation of AI Conversations within the Engagement component of Blackboard Ultra. This includes:

• Suggested titles, personas, and reflection questions
• The ability to upload assignment sheets for better AI relevance
• Consistency with Blackboard’s AI framework (no external data sharing)

This feature gives instructors a running start when creating interactive learning scenarios using either Socratic questioning or real-world role-play simulations. Faculty can refine AI suggestions by adding course context, adjusting question complexity, or manually editing the content.

2. Qualitative Rubrics with No-Points Option Instructors now have the option to build qualitative rubrics that focus on criteria and feedback without assigning points. Key highlights include:

• “No Points” now available in the rubric type dropdown
• AI generation supports qualitative rubric creation
• Flexibility to switch between rubric types (percentage, points range, no points)

This update is especially useful for formative assessments and subjective assignments where the emphasis is on learning and improvement.

3. New Test Results Setting: View Submission One Time This new setting provides a balanced approach to feedback and test security. Instructors can now:

• Allow students to view their test submission only once after submission
• Enable this by selecting “Available after submission” and then “View submission one time”

This gives students immediate feedback without compromising the integrity of the test for others.

4. Learning Object Repository (LOR) Enhancements The Learning Object Repository has been improved with a new search feature:

• Users can search objects by name when inserting content
• Supports retrieving more than 1,000 objects
• Alphabetically sorted list improves organization and speed

This makes it easier for instructors and course builders to find and insert standardized content such as university policies or technology requirements.

Disclaimer: the LOR is not currently enabled for FHSU Blackboard. This setting is currently reserved for designers, admins and programs leads/chairs but will be something to be on the lookout for for the future.

Final Thoughts Features 1-3 are live now and available in your Ultra courses without any additional setup from system administrators. If you have questions or want to explore these tools further, contact the TILT team.

Additional Resources:

• TILT Blackboard Ultra Transition Site
• Blackboard Ultra Release Notes – May 2025
• Blackboard Idea Exchange

Watch the full episode above, and don’t forget to subscribe to stay informed about future updates.

From all of us at TILT, see you next month for the next edition of What’s New in Ultra: TILTEd.

* All information from this podcast and blog post are courtesy of Anthology. You can find their blog post here.